A Merman's Tale
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: A girl named Bay learns more than herself than ever. Can she handle the truth or let it sink her?
1. Something Fishy

**guestsurprise and I have come up with another spin off a classic fairy tale, 'The Little Mermaid.' Enjoy and no flames!**

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Everyone always hears about how mermaids are the queens of the sea, but what happens when a merman decides to take things into his own hands. You've heard the story of the little mermaid, but things go a bit different when we see things through the eyes and soul of a merman.

This is a story about Bay, a young girl who learns that there is more to her and her heritage than meets the eye.

"I don't wanna be here," Bay thought, now walking into the new school that her foster parents had for her. She didn't want to meet any new people because she longed for her previous home.

Flashback…

"Maybe you can join the volleyball team or cheerleading squad," her foster mom grinned.

"No thanks," Bay replied in frustration.

"But Bay, you can't mope all day long."

"I don't wanna be here! I wanna go back home to New York."

"Well, we aren't going back Bay. This is our new home."

And with that, her mother walked out and left her alone. Bay didn't want to have anything to do with the new students or her new home. But she had no choice.

Flashback ended…

Bay walked inside and sat down in her new desk. Being a 16 year old in a new high school was bad enough, but especially when the students did nothing but stare at her!

"What are they looking at?" she thought. In reality, she thought there was nothing special about her. She was about an average height for a young girl and she had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She had light skin, but she had a cute face. She was considered average, nothing particularly special. At least, nothing she could see.

"Class, let's welcome Bay from New York City!" The teacher smiled. All the students casually waved or said hello under their breath. Definitely not the best welcome that's for sure. Bay casually said hello in return, just hoping to be out of the spotlight. As uncomfortable as it was, she was happy when class finally began to start.

"Well, now I need to…hmmm," She hitched, now scratching her legs. She had been having this annoying itch on her legs for a few days now and it was definitely annoying her more often. Shrugging it off, she continued with class.

One hour later…

Bay stood up and grabbed her books. Now that she had a small break, she decided to look around the school. She noticed that her school wasn't far from a nearby lake that led into the ocean. She loved the beauty of the open water, but she was deathly afraid of it. She almost drowned as a young girl so she avoided deep water at all costs. As she began walking through the school, she noticed the school had a large pool area. Curious, she walked into it and began to look around.

"Wonder if they have a swim team here," she thought outloud.

"They do." A voice responded. She jumped a bit at the new voice and saw two guys behind her. One was taller than the other and had a blindfold over his eyes and had white hair (interesting color for hair huh) The other was shorter with blondish hair and green eyes.

"Were you considering joining the girls' swim team?" the blonde- haired boy asked.

"Oh no! I don't think so; I can't even swim," Bay chuckled. The blonde haired guy laughed, but the white haired one behind him remained stoic and silent. He didn't even crack a smile.

"I'm Cove, and this is Dune," Cove smiled, now extending his hand for a hand shake.

"I'm Bay," she grinned sweetly as she shook his hand. But Dune only bowed slightly in response. Bay cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but decided to shrug it off. Soon, they heard the bell ring.

"Catch ya later Bay," Cove smiled, now running off and Dune followed closely behind him. Bay looked at them as they walked away and then hurried away. She had to hurry before her own class began!

Four hours later…

Class was finally over and Bay was able to go home. She was happy to finally be in her own bed after the long's day events. But what she couldn't escape was the constant itching that she felt in her legs. She looked down and saw that she had a small rash.

"Probably from that new lotion I used," Bay said to no one in particular. She then began to change her clothes and get into bed, hoping that next day would be better.

But the next day and the day after was the same. She went to school and no one talked to her and she talked to no one. With each passing minute, she felt like she didn't belong there. As she walked down the hallway, a group of girls began giggling. Curious, she turned and looked at them, but they quickly looked away. She was just walking past them when they began giggling and laughing. Feeling upset, Bay turned and made eye contact with the head girl.

"What's so funny?" Bay said, trying to remain pleasant.

"You have some toilet paper on your shoe," A girl snickered. Bay looked down and saw she had a long trail of toilet paper. She bent down to pick it up when she turned and saw others chuckling at her, especially the head of the baseball team. Feeling her face turn red, she quickly walked fast to her classroom and to her seat.

But that was only the beginning. At lunchtime, Bay walked to the lunch room and got her tray. The minute she picked it up, someone bumped into her by accident! Her entire tray of spaghetti and meatballs fell all over her green shirt. And the red juice stained her skirt! Some laughed and some tried to help, but Bay had it! She ran from the lunchroom and out the back door towards the woods. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she didn't even look where she was going! As Bay was running, she was being followed by someone. Someone who had been watching the entire incident. She ran through the woods and towards her house. She was almost there when she tripped and fell! She screamed as she twisted her ankle and cried out in pain. Now trying to hold back her tears, she decided not to try and get up and just let the pain overtake her. Her tears began falling down her face and she began crying even harder as it began to rain.

"I give up!" She sobbed out. But she stopped as she heard footsteps approaching. She turned and screamed as a figure in dark navy approached her. The person's face was covered with a hood and no part of their face was visible. They had on a dark navy jumpsuit and the person was very tall and intimidating. She tried to scramble to her feet and grab a large stick that was near to her, but the figure was on her in a flash.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" She screamed, now trying to get loose, but the figure covered her mouth and planted their lips on hers. She tried to bite the person's lips, but they maneuvered where she couldn't bite them. Once they were done, they got up and ran at lightning speed into the forest! Bay angrily sat up and wiped her mouth!

"YOU JERK! YOU FILTHY JERK!" She screamed. But then she noticed something! She was standing up with no pain! The pain in her ankle was gone! But…..how? She wasn't sure, but one thing's for sure…she was gonna run to the house!

Once inside, she tried to explain what happened to her foster parents, but they didn't believe her. They shrugged it off and went to prepare dinner, leaving Bay frustrated and confused.

"No one gets me or even cares," She said angrily, now running to her room. But while she was in her room, she glanced out at the lake that led to the ocean. But after a few moments, she blinked and rubbed her eyes. Funny thing…it almost looked like someone was watching her from the water. But that was impossible….right?

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 **guestsurprise: What do you all think so far? I hope you all like the beginning of this story. NewbienovelistRD gave me some great ideas for this story too!**

 **newbienovelistRD: Happy to help, Amiga! We can discuss more about the story in another story!**


	2. Set Sail

Bay was on her way to the biggest party of the year. She was excited because she felt like this was a way for her to connect with other students at the school and to meet more people.

"I guess it's now or never," Bay smiled, now walking into the room filled with people. Everyone was happy to see her because she was the new kid on the block. But what Bay didn't know was that that night was going to be the turning point in her life. As she was fixing a plate of food, she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Cove and Dune looking at her.

"Happy to see you here Bay," Cove grinned. Dune was his usual silent self, but he nodded in response.

"I didn't know if I would come; I just wanted to check and see what this party was about," Bay said, now brushing her dark brown hair behind her ears.

"So what do you think about the music?" Cove said, now singing a little tune.

"I like it. It's a cool beat," Bay smiled, beginning to sway. Once the jocks saw her swaying a little, the head jock came up to her.

"Hey you!" He grinned.

"Um…hey." Bay said shyly.

"How about a dance?"

"Oh I don't dance really." Bay said honestly.

"Aw c'mon! I just saw you swayin."

"No that was just a little…"

"C'mon! Don't be a chicken!" He laughed, now grabbing her arm and pulling her out onto the dance floor!

Bay felt him spin her and dip her like mad, and she was barely hanging on. But what they didn't see was a large puddle of juice on the floor and she slipped and fell flat on her bottom. Everyone was laughing, except for Cove and Dune. They raced to help her up and they were looking very concerned.

"Are you alright?" Cove asked. Dune said nothing, but helped her up.

"No…" Bay said, now looking at the red juice all over her turquoise dress. She then turned around and saw all of the people still snickering and trying to hold in their laughter. She then heard a few snaps! She swirled around and saw a girl taking pictures!

"I'm sorry! It's nothing personal. But I am supposed to take pictures for the school paper." The girl responded.

Bay looked at her in horror and then turned around and ran out of the building. So this was how she would be remembered….the girl who fell down in juice and couldn't dance.

"BAY! BAY STOP!" Cove called, but Bay was gone. As she was running her high heels began to fall off, but she didn't care! She was too busy running as fast as she could go!

Once she ran into her room, she quickly threw her dress on the bed and took a quick 5 minute shower. Once she was cleaned up, she changed into a comfy dress, tennis shoes, and a jacket. She then threw some clothes, money and food into a bag and ran out the door.

Bay at this point was determined to get away from that place! She felt that her foster parents wouldn't care and neither would anyone else. And no one would know she was gone because her foster parents were gone for the night on a date.

"I'm outta here!" She said angrily, now running out and down to the sea! If she could just make it down to the shore, she could be out of there forever!

Just then, Bay spotted an old fishing boat and decided to make her great escape there.

Taking the rope off of the boat connected to the deck, Bay pushed off and sailed away from the shore.

"Well, so long miserable life." Bay said. But in the back of her head, she had a feeling that she shouldn't do this.

But stubborn as she was, Bay kept going. She didn't know or care where she was going, but she was glad to be be gone.

Bay laid on her back and saw all the glittering stars in the sky. "I wonder if I'll ever make any friends?" she wondered out loud. "Maybe not...I guess I'm just meant to be alone."

Bay closed her eyes and fell asleep, unaware that someone in the water was watching her.


	3. Two Mermaids and a Merman

Bay was falling asleep in the small row boat. There was definitely no turning back now; she was on her way to the open ocean!

"I don't care what happens. It's just me and I'm on my own!" She said proudly, but sadly. What she didn't see were a pair of eyes following the boat and staying out of sight.

"What are you looking at?" A mermaid with bright orange hair and a pink tail whispered.

"That boat above us. There's something in there." The other responded. She had long dark blue hair and a purple tail.

"Really?! Like treasure?!"

"I don't think so. I think it is something alive," the other said, now swimming gently upwards.

"Don't get too close! It could be dangerous!"

"I just want to see what it is. We are always collecting items for our collection; perhaps, we can use a new pet," the mermaid giggled, now swimming up to the surface.

"Ok, but just be careful."

"Let me grab my sack!" The mermaid said in happiness, now diving down to the bottom of the ocean and grabbing an old sack. Once she had it in her grasp, she swam back up and towards the rowboat.

Back up at the top, Bay was just about to fall asleep when the boat gently began to rock! The mermaid was trying to get a grip on the boat and climb in.

"Great, that's all I need! The boat to keep rocking," Bay said in a frustrated tone.

"Hmmm, whatever it is can speak," the mermaid said in surprise, now going back down under the water. She then turned and began to approach the surface with great speed. She then burst through the water and landed in the boat. Bay began to scream!

It was beginning to get dark so all she saw was a figure that was slimy and slippery climb in the boat!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MONSTER! MONSTER!" Bay screamed. She then began throwing items at the mermaid in pure horror.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! Stop that!" The mermaid demanded, now trying to crawl towards her. "Come here!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Bay screamed, now frantically trying to get out of the boat. But just as Bay was about to jump, she remembered that she could not swim well at all! "What am I gonna do now?!"

"You! Stop! Do not move," the mermaid said in a frustrated tone, now getting closer and about to grab Bay's arm. Bay turned and saw the figure getting closer, so she did what all of us would have done! Jump in the water anyway!

Bay jumped in and at once began to splutter and splash, clearly drowning!

"What are you doing?!" The mermaid squeaked in terror, now diving in after her and holding Bay's head above water. Bay turned and saw a woman's face nearer to hers, but she was still terrified. The woman's face was very beautiful, but there was something mysterious about it!

"LET GO OF ME!" Bay demanded, now pushing the mermaid's head underwater and splashing frantically back to the boat.

"HHMMMMMMMMMM!" The mermaid gurgled, now being pushed under the waves! The mermaid shook her head back and forth to regain her composure, and once more looked up at the boat with even more determination.

"What's going on?!" The other mermaid asked. "Is the creature dangerous?!"

"No, just afraid. But I want this creature. Whatever it is," the mermaid replied, now swimming back up at the boat and gently looking over the edge. Her face softened at hearing Bay curled up and whimper.

"This is a dream, this is a dream, this is all a dream!" Bay chanted to herself. The mermaid then took the opportunity to climb into the boat and grab Bay.

"LET ME GO! MONSTER! MONSTER HELP!" She screamed, now feeling the cold and wet, but gentle woman-like webbed hands grab her.

"Calm down creature; you're coming with me," the mermaid said, now quickly placing Bay in the sack. Bay squirmed and panicked, but the mermaid had her!

"LET ME OUT OF HERE! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Bay screamed from inside the sack. The mermaid then chanted some magic words so that Bay could breathe underwater. Once she was done, she dove into the water with Bay. Happy with her catch, the mermaid swam up to her friend.

"I've got her; let's go to the cave and get our pet settled!"

"Marina, do you really think that's a good idea," the other mermaid whimpered.

"Yes, Shell. Everything will be fine," Marina giggled, now heading to their underwater cave. Shell nodded and followed her, hoping that their new pet wasn't too wild.

But the minute they got to the underwater cave, Marina could feel Bay squirming even more!

"Let me out of here! This is kidnapping! Let go of me!" Bay pleaded.

"I need to let her out; she's moving too much," Marina said, now putting the sack down and getting ready to open it.

Bay was still praying in her mind that this was a dream until she was tossed onto a huge, clam shaped bed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" screamed the mermaids.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Bay screamed, she tried to back away. But she saw the mermaids looking just as scared.

Marina pointed her shaky finger at Bay. "W-What are those?!"

Bay looked down at her legs. She wiggled her feet and the creatures jumped back.

"They moved!" Shell gasped.

"You're...scared of my feet?" Bay asked, very confused.

"Feet?" Shell and Marina said. They inched closer to the strange looking extremities.

"You've never seen feet before?"

Marina shook her head. "Never..." She reached out to grab Bay's left foot, but when her hand made contact with Bay's sole, she squeaked and tried to pull her foot back.

"Let go!" Bay pulled and pulled, but Marina wouldn't let go. Shell made it worse by grabbing Bay's other foot.

The mermaids marveled at these things called feet. "They feel so strange." Shell said, rubbing her hands all over the foot.

"What are these little pudgy things?" Marina cooed as she played with Bay's toes. "They're so cute!"

"Heeheeheeheehee!" Bay tittered. "They're my toes!"

"Toes?" Marina echoed, very curious as she and Shell kept stroking, poking, and prodding Bay's feet.

"YES! And they're really ticklish! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Bay laughed.

Marina squealed and swished her tail fin in excitement. "Ooh! I love my new pet already!" She grabbed a piece of seaweed and tickled Bay's arch with it. Shell couldn't resist and was doing the exact same thing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, PLEASE! STOP TICKLING ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bay was completely helpless. Whether she was dreaming or not, she wanted this madness to stop.

Suddenly, a huge current burst through the room. The silly mermaid sisters stopped tickling and hugged each other.

A merman entered the room. He was tall with his regal posture and had very handsome features. He had spiky black hair and a tail resembling a shark's. Bay's heart fluttered seeing his flawless, bare naked chest.

"Who is this?" The merman pointed a wand made from carved abalone shell at Bay.

"We don't know, brother!" Marina answered. "We were just swimming by and found this little one! Can we keep her?"

"Absolutely not! This is a human being! These creatures are forbidden in our kingdom!" The merman leered his steel gray eyes at the human.

"Please don't harm her, brother! She's a nice human! I want to keep her!" Marina begged.

Marina's brother responded by pointing his wand and zapping Bay with it's magic. The seaweed around Marina's bed can even alive and tied her feet together as well as constricted her upper body.

"NOOOOO!" Bay couldn't get free.

"So we can keep her?!" Marina said with glee.

"Yes, we can keep her..." said the merman.

"Yay!" Marina grabbed another strand of seaweed and tickled Bay's feet again. "Who's a good human? Who's a good human?" she cooed affectionately.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! STOP IT! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"But," The merman took out a vile of glowing blue liquid. "She must undergo the transformation." He poured the liquid onto Bay's legs and entire body.

"WHAT?! BROTHER NO!" Marina yelled.

Bay screamed as her body began to glow!

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Bay yelled.

Shell pulled Marina away as the light grew brighter until it died down at last.

When Bay opened her eyes, she felt faint.

Her legs were gone. Now she had a scaly, sparkly turquoise tail. The tail of a mermaid.

Even her hair had changed. It was now platinum blonde that faded to green.

"You are now one of us, human." said the merman.

Bay fainted.


	4. No Escaping Marina

"Brother, she's fainted!" Marina said, now swimming over and untying her.

"Why did you change her?! We liked our pet the way she was!" Shell protested, gently running a hand through Bay's hair.

"Calm down, she is still your pet. The potion will make her a mermaid when she is out with you all. But she can change back to your human pet when you are behind closed doors. All you both have to do is gently touch her tail at the same time. Only a member of the royal family can do it." Kye replied.

Being the mershark prince was a big responsibility, but he did care for the happiness of his sisters. Both swam over and kissed his cheek and then happily swam back to Bay. Kye took this opportunity to step out for a bit.

"Hey…hey, wake up!" Marina said, now gently moving Bay. Bay gently began to open her eyes and stir a bit. "C'mon now….wake up little one." Marina cooed.

Bay finally opened her eyes and screamed now seeing Marina and Shell looking down at her.

"Hey! Calm down!" Marina said, now grabbing her and holding her to her chest. Marina was definitely beautiful. She had long beautiful blue hair and blue eyes to match. She had on a beautiful shiny blue top and tail and Shell looked similar to her sister, only her hair, tail, and top were yellow.

"Let go of me!" Bay pleaded. "I've gotta get out of here!"

"Calm down now. You never even told us your name," Marina replied calmly. Marina was much stronger so Bay finally stopped and calmed herself down. After a few minutes, she spoke.

"Bay. My name is Bay," she said sadly.

"Bay. That's a beautiful name. My name is Marina and this is my sister Shell. We are princesses of this kingdom," Marina replied.

"And we have made you our new pet, young human," Shell smiled, swimming over to them.

"I'm not an animal!" Bay protested.

"Bay calm down; we will treat you well here. Besides! I can change you back to a human whenever I want!"

"You can?!"

"Yes! My brother gave Shell and I have the power to do it, but we can only do it when we are out of the public eye." Marina said, now gently touching her tail.

"I can't stay here!"

"Bay, you have to! We care for you here! You belong to me now," Marina said, now hugging her to her. Bay immediately squeaked in surprise.

"And now we have to teach you how to swim!" Shell smiled, now ushering Bay to sit up. "Wave your tail like this!"

Bay tried, but she only managed to spin herself into some seaweed. The mermaids giggled, which made Bay even more embarrassed.

"I can't do it. I am going to just sit here," Bay said, trying to hide her flushed and embarrassed face.

"Bay, come on," Marina smiled, now swimming over to coax her up again.

"You can do it!" Shell added.

Bay sighed and tried again to swim and she went a few feet but fell into a nearby patch of coral. Kye was just swimming back in when he noticed how Bay was becoming even more frustrated.

"I am just not cut out for this," Bay said sadly.

"You have to learn, human," Kye said, now swimming over to her. She looked up and saw him narrowing his eyes at her, seeing that he was not too fond of humans.

"My name is not human!" Bay growled angrily.

"Do not take that tone with me," he growled, now pointing his wand at her and showing his sharp teeth. Bay angrily turned her back on him to try and swim away and he then grabbed her around her waist.

"LET ME GO! PUT ME DOWN!"

"No one turns their back on me, human." Kye said, now picking her up and sitting down with her on his lap. Bay squirmed and tried to get out of his grip, but he had her. "Halt!" He thundered.

His voice made the cave shake and the mermaids held each other in fear. Bay's eyes began to fill up with tears as he held her firmly. Kye then turned her around to face him as he gently grabbed her chin.

"You belong to us now; I suggest you get used to it," Kye said.

Bay snatched away and looked the other way in horror. Kye let her go and then turned to his sisters.

"Make sure to massage her tail. You need to stimulate the nerves and muscles in her tail so that she doesn't sprain anything while trying to swim." Kye said, now turning back to Bay. "How do they call you?"

"Her name is Bay," Marina answered.

"Well, Bay…you are to stay inside until you learn how to swim appropriately with your new tail." Kye said, now swimming up to Bay and turning her to look at him again. "Now then…you are under the care of my sisters. If you leave their side, I am not responsible for your safety."

And with that, he swam away, leaving Bay with the others alone.

"Now then Bay, how about we practice that swimming again," Marina replied, trying to lighten the mood. Bay nodded and they continued.

But the minute Bay had enough strength in her tail, she powered herself out of the cave! She was going to run away! She thought that these merpeople were just bullies trying to hurt her!

"AFTER HER!" Shell shouted.

Marina took out her own abalone wand and chased after Bay before any other merfolk saw her.

* * *

Bay didn't know where she was going. But she wanted to get away from those awful mermaids. As she swam, she was already getting the hang of swimming with a tail.

But then, ropes of strong seaweed wrapped around Bay and pulled her into a deep trench. When she got to the bottom, there was Marina smiling at her.

"There you are, Bay! I was so worried!" She hugged the bound girl-turned mermaid.

"Let me go, Marina!" Bay snarled, trying to get free.

"Struggle all you want. Nothing escapes my seaweed magic." Marina said. She swam around Bay, lightly brushing her back with her fin.

Bay squeaked feeling the slight feathery sensation. She saw Bay smiling big at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Bay asked, feeling very awkward.

"Because I like you!" Marina said. "You're the best pet I've ever had!"

"I'm not a pet!" Bay snapped.

Marina waved her wand. "Ah, ah, ah. If you keep misbehaving, I'll have to punish you." She pointed her wand at Bay's feet and they became legs again.

"My legs! They're back!" Bay said with great joy and relief. But it was cut short when Marina willed the seaweed to wrap all over her legs and tickle her thighs and knees.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! NOT THIS AGAIN! STAHAHAP IT!"

While the seaweed tickle tortured Bay's legs, Bay used her own hands to tickle Bay's feet

"Coochy, Coochy, coo! Tickle, tickle, tickle! Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Marina teased, having a blast.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! M-M-MARINA! STOP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Only if you promise to behave and stay with us!" Marina teased in a sing song voice.

"OKAY! OKAY! YOU WIN!" Bay screamed.

"Yay!" Marina made the seaweed stop tickling. She sighed in admiration. "You're so lucky, Bay. I wish I had these feet, they're so cute and fun to tickle!" She emphasized this by gently running her fingers down the extremely sensitive arches and Bay let out another big laugh.

"And I love your laugh!" Marina added. "It's the best laugh in the whole world!"

Bay blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yep! And you have the most beautiful face when you're smiling!" Marina said. "It fills me with such joy I could just burst!"

At that moment, Bay saw Marina in a whole new way. Perhaps this mermaid wasn't as bad as she thought she was.

Marina conducted the seaweed to take her back to the palace. "You're gonna love our home, Bay! You'll have the best room in the house! And for our celebration dinner for you, we're gonna have kelp burgers and clam pizza! Sounds delish, right?!"

Bay wasn't sure about kelp burgers and clam pizza. But at least she was going to be well taken care of by this mermaid.

 _'Maybe...this won't be so bad after all...'_ Bay thought.


	5. Like a Sister

Bay was led by Marina into the large banquet room. Kye was sitting and it looked like he was eating a large fish. Bay's face turned white because it was sad to see a fish suffer like that.

"Come here Bay; here's the clam pizza," Marina smiled, now pulling off a slice and giving it to Bay. Bay thought that something terrible would happen at first, but when she had a good piece, it actually was the best pizza she ever had!

"This tastes great!" Bay smiled happily.

"I'm glad you like it!" Marina smiled, now biting into her piece. As Bay was eating, many of the merpeople in the hall were looking at the new merperson. Bay was definitely not familiar to any of them…and it's no wonder! She was not even a real merperson! As people were whispering and asking each other about Bay, Bay overheard a girl behind her.

"Who is that new mermaid? I've never seen her before."

"She's probably from the eastern seas," another one whispered back.

Bay turned and saw them staring so hard that she thought they would bore holes in her skin.

"What is everyone staring at?!" Bay finally said, tired of being stared at.

"You, of course." Kye responded, now picking his sharp teeth with his clawed, webbed hands.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious, Bay? No one here has ever seen you before. And I…" he stopped what he was saying as he noticed a strange shell shaped birthmark on Marina's shoulder. "How did you get that birthmark?"

"What are you talking about?" Bay asked, now nervous that he was swimming over to her. He swam up to her and took a hold of her shoulder gently.

"This. Your birthmark."

"Oh that. I've had it all my life." Bay said matter of factly.

"Well, there is only one merman that had ever had this mark. His name was Dour. He was a captain of our soldiers years ago when I was younger," Kye said, now looking at her harder. "He disappeared years ago and was never heard from again. But he had a birthmark exactly like the one on your shoulder."

"What do you mean disappeared?! What happened to him?!"

"Well if we knew we would tell you Bay, but no one knows." Kye responded, his eyes looking saddened.

"But I was put into adoption ever since I was a baby! You mean to tell me that I am a merman's daughter and I am just now figuring it out!" Bay said outloud in horror.

"Don't be absurd; your birthmark is probably just a coincidence. It is impossible for a merman and a human to fall in love and even consider having children. That's absolutely absurd!" Kye said almost in complete shock that she would say such a thing.

"Just finding out?! What does she mean?" Another mermaid asked in confusion.

"Bay remain calm. We don't know the facts about anything just yet," Marina replied.

"Yes, remain calm." Shell added.

"You guys don't understand! I was a nobody a few days ago and now I'm a pet for a mermaid and now I could possibly be half mermaid by birth?" Bay said in shock.

Kye and the sisters quickly escorted Bay out before the other merpeople could hear more of her ranting. Once in private, Kye turned to her.

"You must keep calm Bay! We know nothing about your birth or your past. One thing's for sure, merfolk and humans have never joined in matrimony so it is impossible for you to be a mermaid by birth." Kye said confidently.

"Why?!"

"Because humans are forbidden here and for generations that is how it has always been! I've only allowed you to stay as a pet."

"WHAT?!" Bay said, now becoming angrier by the second.

"Kye, that was a terrible thing to say." Marina said angrily.

"But it is true. I only allowed her to stay because you wanted her. Otherwise, I would have left her where she was." Kye responded coolly.

"Brother!" Marina said, trying to stop him from making things worse. But as they turned, they saw Bay angrily stare at them and wipe tears from her face. She was having a very hard day.

"Bay, please remain calm." Shell said.

"I just don't belong anywhere. I didn't belong at my school or at my foster home. And now I don't even belong as a mermaid's friend!"

"Friend? Bay, you are simply her pet." Kye said coolly.

"YOU JERK! I HATE YOU! WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU!" Bay screamed.

"Silence, Katrina!"

Everyone stopped, even Bay.

"What are you talking about?! I'm not Katrina!" Bay snapped, wiping her tears. Kye just turned tail and swam away.

"Bay, where are you going?" Marina asked, swimming after her!

"I uh…I'm going for a swim." Bay replied. She swam into a dark room and cried on the giant clam bed. "I can't stay here..."

"You wouldn't be trying to escape again would you?" Shell asked, now swimming near to her. "Because regardless of what Kye says, we really like you."

"And please don't be upset with us...we don't just see you as a worthless pet like Kye says." Marina replied gently.

"Then how do you see me?" Bay asked. "You did say yourself that I'm a pet."

"Well, I did at first." Marina scratched her head. "But...I take it all back."

"Huh?"

"I never should have called you a pet. You have a personality and feelings like a person. To be honest...I'm beginning to see you as...well, a sister."

Bay was stunned, speechless.

"I feel the same." Shell said. "Even I have to admit, things can get so boring here in the palace. Ever since you came, we've been so happy and things were finally beginning to brighten up!"

Bay was caught off guard when Marina hugged her. "Please don't be mad, Bay. We want you to stay. Our brother Ian just being a barnacle head. Since he's head of the household, he's got to be all stiff and proper and follow rules!"

Shell hugged Bay too. "Please stay, Bay! We love you here!"

Their words sunk into Bay like an anchor. She could feel the sincerity in their words. The warmth of their hugs took out all the despair in her heart.

Bay sniffled a little and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Okay, I'll stay."

Marina smiled. "I think someone needs a good laugh!" She raised her wand. "Let's tickle those feet things again!"

"AAAAAH! No! NO! No tickling my feet!" Bay swam out the window as the mischievous mermaids swam after her.

Bay was outside the palace and was almost out of the courtyard until she bumped into something sharp and prickly.

"OWWWW!" Bay swam back and screamed at what she saw.

It was another mermaid.

But this wasn't like the other mermaids she saw. She had long maroon colored hair that moved and wriggled like snakes and had ghostly white skin, but the strangest thing of all was her tail. Instead of sparkling scales on normal mermaid tails, her tail was covered in black sea urchin spikes.

Her huge yellow eyes stared at Bay in shock. They both stared at each other, feeling as if time stood still.

"STAY AWAY FROM HERE!" Marina and Shell shot magic from their wands and fired at the strange mermaid. She swam away from the palace and vanished into the darkness.

"BAY! Are you alright?!" Marina said, checking Bay for any injuries. She and Shell took her by the arms and swam back to the palace.

"Who...was that?" Bay asked, still in shock.

"That was Pearl, the Sea Witch." Kye said as he reinforced the castle doors and windows with his magic. "She's very powerful and very dangerous."

"Sea Witch?!"

"That's right. Sea Witches are like mermaids, but they specialize in dark sea magic. So, for your own safety, you must stay in the palace at all times." said Kye. "If Pearl knew if you were a human, you will no doubt fall victim to her evil spells."

Bay gulped. That Sea Witch was pretty scary looking.

"But don't worry, everything you could ever want is here in the safety of our palace!" Marina said. "So, cheer up! How about some dessert? We've got salt water taffy ice cream!"

"And angelfish cake!"

Bay licked her lips. "Mmm! I'll have some alright!"


	6. Magic and Secrets

Bay listened as the mermaids were teaching her how to use mermaid magic. Only royalty mermaids knew primarily about magic, but because Bay was a new addition to their family they wanted to teach her.

"Marina, I feel bad."

"Why?"

"Well, part of me doesn't know what to do. I see Bay as part of our family, but I still sort of see her as a pet." Shell said sadly.

"I know, Sister. Part of me looks at it that way too, but we have to try to look past what our people have done with humans in the past," Marina said sadly.

"What's going on?" Bay asked, now swimming over to see what they were talking about.

"Oh nothing Bay; try spinning your fingers like this to create a bunch of seaweed," Shell smiled, now handing her the potion and showing her how to do the hand motion. Bay nodded and attempted to do it.

"Let me try over here," Bay smiled, now swimming over in the corner for some privacy.

"Shell, she can never find out from anyone or anything what happened in the past." Marina whispered.

"Because if she does…" Shell whimpered.

"I know that she will never want to see us again and she will definitely try to run away." Marina replied.

Meanwhile, Bay was trying to makeshift a new way to create the seaweed. After a few minutes of practicing, she was getting better.

"Good job Bay! Let's try to do some out in the garden!" Shell smiled. If they were inside the garden, they were safe and sound.

"Ok, let's go!" Bay smiled, now swimming out happily and preparing to grow some seaweed and sea cucumbers!

The mermaids smiled at Bay's eagerness and swam inside the castle to grab some more potions to teach her more magic.

"This is awesome!" Bay grinned to herself, watching her hands glow.

"Hey, pssssst," a voice whispered. Bay turned around and heard a voice from a nearby hole in the large stone wall.

"Where are you?" Bay asked.

"I'm not going to show myself. You will only scream and create a panic."

"No I won't. Come out," Bay coaxed, now swimming near the wall and trying to look through it.

"No. Now listen. I wanted to answer your question about earlier," the voice replied. It sounded shy and unsure.

"What do you mean?"

"You remember when the mermaids were talking?"

"Yes."

"Well there is a secret you need to know about. Humans and merpeople have always been against each other because they do not understand each other. Prince Kye was once in love with a human girl named Katrina when he was very young. The king did not approve and when the humans also learned about Kye, they attempted to capture him and put him into a side show."

"That's awful!" Bay said in horror.

"When Kye asked Katrina to run away with him, she decided not to and to stay on land. Even though he understood she was afraid, it hurt him deeply and he has been against humans ever since." The voice continued.

"So that's why he was so against me coming here," Bay said softly to herself.

"But there is also a reason why Shell and Marina are hiding something from you."

"Why? What is it?! Please tell me!" Bay pleaded, now concerned.

"Well…it's…"

"Bay? Bay are you talking to someone?" Marina asked, now swimming up and examining the stone wall closely.

"Huh?! Uh..." Bay looked back at the hole.

There was nothing but silence.

"Nothing, I thought I saw a...piranha." Bay lied.

Marina laughed, it sounded like wind chimes in the breeze. "You silly! Piranhas are freshwater fish!" She grabbed Bay's hand. "Come along now! Back to training!"

As she was being pulled back, Bay looked back to the stone wall.

Who was that? How did they know so much about the mermaid sisters?

And what's this big secret Marina and Shell are keeping from her?


	7. Humans and Merfolk

Bay was very curious about what the voice said through the hole. What were the merpeople hiding from her?

"I have to know more. Why is everyone acting so mysterious?" She thought. She was currently in her room and looking out the palace window.

"Pssst." A voice whispered.

Bay recognized that whisper and she knew exactly who it was. The mysterious voice from earlier! Determined to find out what was going on, Bay swam down to the wall of the large underwater castle and saw the same hole as before.

Peeking through it, she saw a trail of something she hadn't noticed before. They appeared to be small pebbles. Curious, Bay swam over the wall and began to follow them as quickly as she could. The pebbles led her to a small cave on the outskirts of the city!

"Who goes there?!" A voice spoke out suddenly.

"It's me…Bay."

Silence.

"I need to talk to you." Bay continued.

"You shouldn't have come. They will find you here!"

"Now how about you coming out and letting me worry about that. I really need to know about what the mermaid sisters are hiding from me." Bay responded kindly, but urgently. She heard a deep sign from inside the cave and soon the spike-tailed merwoman came out.

"My name is Pearl. I am known as a sea witch. No one trusts me because my ancestors and the merpeople did not get along very well." Pearl said sadly.

"But you can't be all bad. You were trying to help me."

"Yeah, well don't try to get too close to me. I only warned you because you are new here and a human at that!" Pearl snickered.

"Human?! How did you know?!"

"Bay, I'm a sea witch. Many of the potions they used to change you into a mermaid are based on old potions my family used to make. Mermaid potions and our potions are very similar. Anyway, the mermaids and their family used to capture humans and make them into their pets. Humans' memories were wiped clean and they were used as simple enjoyment for the merpeople. They were probably planning on giving you a spell to wipe your memory and turn you into a mindless pet."

"What?" Bay said in horror.

"Bay, I'm not lying. It appears that something kept them from doing that to you, but because merpeople do not get along with humans, they were going to do it sooner or later."

"B-But Marina and Shell aren't like that!" Bay protested.

"Bay, look how hard they kept that secret from you. They may not be like their ancestors, but every mermaid and merman has been taught that humans are no good and are only meant for pets and enjoyment. I could also see that you don't have the best relationship with Kye. I'm not surprised considering he cannot stand humans ever since Katrina."

Pearl paused, then continued. "Bay, I am sorry if this made you feel upset, but to them, you may always appear like a pet because you used to be human and that is how they were raised. Even though I can sense you have mermaid blood in you, you were born on land so that makes you more human than mermaid to them."

Bay was silent for a few minutes, trying to get her thoughts and mind together. After a few minutes, she turned to Pearl.

"Thank you Pearl. I know we just met, but I appreciate you telling me this information." Bay responded.

"BAAAAAAAAAY!"

Bay spun around to see Marina and Shell swimming towards them. They screamed I alarm seeing Bay with Pearl.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER, DEATH-BRINGER!" Marina yelled, aiming her wand at the sea witch.

Pearl just sighed and flicked her wrist, she summoned a powerful current to take her away and make her escape.

"Bay, are you alright?" Shell asked, but Bay was swimming away in sadness.

"Bay! Wait!" The sisters followed Bay back to the palace.

"Bay! Bay! Wait up!" The sisters followed Bay back to her room and fell into her seashell bed.

"Bay! Did Pearl curse you?!" Marina grabbed Bay's head and looked for any unusual symptoms. "Do you have barnacles sprouting out of your face?! Scurvy on your tongue?! Scallops on your scalp?!"

"I'm fine, Marina." Bay said softly.

"You can't be too careful, Bay!" said Shell. "Sea witches are born crafty! You never know when you've been cursed!" She took out her wand and pointed it at Bay. A pink light covered her body then it turned green.

"It's alright, she's clean." said Shell, putting her wand away.

"Oh, thank Neptune!" Marina hugged Bay. "We were so worried, Bay! Are you sure you're not hurt?!"

"She's fine, sis! Give her some space!" Shell scolded. "Keep that up and she will get hurt!"

"I'm just trying to be a good sister!" an offended Marina shot back. "After all, she's family! You sea cow!"

Shell growled. "Oh? It's been a while since I've been called that, Squid breath!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Marina yelled. "I keep telling you that was a total fluke! I did NOT kiss that squid on purpose! Sea cow!"

"Squid breath!"

"Sea cow!"

"SQUID BREATH!"

"SEA COW!"

Bay watched the two mermaids bicker. They acted just like human sisters. And they certainly didn't treat Bay like a pet either.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightening pierced through the ceiling and struck between Marina and Shell.

"WILL YOU TWO CLAM UP?!" Kye yelled. "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

The sisters heaved a big sigh and Marina used her seaweed to patch up the hole. "That's two times he's put a hole in the ceiling."

"Three times." Shell corrected. She swam up to Bay. "Sorry you had to see that, Bay. I know we're not a perfect family, but we want you to be happy here."

"Yeah, you're all we've got." Marina said. "Kye's a total drag and none of the servants are as cool as you! You've made this place fun again!"

Bay was silent for a moment. "So you...like me just the way I am?"

"Of course we do! We wouldn't change a thing about you!" Marina said.

"She's right." said Shell. "Because Bay, being you is what makes you so great!"

"She's not great, she's the greatest!" said Marina.

Bay thought back to what Pearl said. That there was a reason why they didn't wipe her memory and make her a mindless pet.

Perhaps...being herself was keeping them from doing so.

"Hey! What's with the long face?" Marina said, snapping Bay out of her thoughts. "Do we need to give your feet a little tickle, tickle?" She waved her wand teasingly.

Bay squeaked and tried to get away, but quick-draw Marina caught her in her seaweed and turned Bay's tail into legs.

Poor Bay whimpered as the playful mermaids grabbed her feet.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Marina and Shell cooed as they danced their fingertips against Bay's soles.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bay laughed. "OH, COME ON! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Shell giggled. "Look! When you tickle the feet, these little toe thingys wiggle a lot!"

"I know! It's soooo cute!" Marina tickled the top of Bay's toes, escalating her laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAP IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bay laughed and laughed, making her concern disappear from memory.

Who knows? Maybe Bay was going to be a sister in this crazy family after all.

* * *

 **newbienovelistRD: Hope you liked my half, guestsurprise! Let's talk about the next chapter in a different story!**


	8. The Whole Truth

The next day, Bay woke up and was ready to start a new day and new life. She had to be ready for anything.

After her conversation with Pearl and the tickle fest with Marina and Shell, who knows what was in store for her today?

Bay swam to the dining room table where breakfast was served.

"Morning, Bay!" Marina said, swimming over and sitting next to her.

Shell sat beside Bay and smiled. "How's it going, Sis?" She ruffled Bay's hair.

Bay didn't respond. Because she saw Kye sit across from her.

"Bay, is it true you met the sea witch last night?" Kye asked.

"Kye! Forget about that! It's breakfast time! I made kelp toast with jellyfish jam for Bay!"

"This is a serious matter, Marina." Kye retorted. "Bay, did you see the sea witch Pearl?"

Bay nodded.

"Stay away from her. I don't care what happens or what goes on, stay away from her. She's full of dark ocean magic. There's no doubt in my mind that she will take advantage of you. Humans are easy prey for the sea witches."

"But what would they want with me?!" Bay blurted out. "There's nothing special about me! I'm just a normal girl turned into a mermaid by you!"

Kye smacked his hands on the table. "I ONLY DID IT TO PROTECT YOU!"

Bay was speechless. Kye was...protecting her?...

Kye sighed and sat back down. "My idiot sisters brought you here because they wanted a pet." He rolled his eyes. "But now they've grown too attached to you and want to keep you here. And knowing how sea witches are, I had no choice but you rid you if your humanity and make you one of the merfolk."

Kye continued. "Sea witches can use humans for all sorts of dark rituals. Like using their blood for potions, bones to make jewelry, or even take your own voice and trick you into taking your life away."

"Steal my voice?" Bay pondered on that. It sounded so familiar...

"So, you are not to leave the palace and stay here under outback watchful eye." And with that, Kye swam away.

The sisters looked at Bay, who seemed deep in thought. A sea witch stealing a voice? That reminded her of the Little Mermaid. She saw the movie, but not the actual story. They say the real story was very sad.

"Do Sea witches really take voices?" asked Bay.

Marina nodded. "That's right, Bay. I didn't want to say this in front of my brother, but a long time ago, one of our sisters brother saved a human prince from drowning and fell in love with him instead. Kye was heartbroken."

Shell picked up on the story. "Knowing a mermaid can't be with a human, the mermaid went to a sea witch who took her voice in exchange for legs. But there was a very deep price..."

Marina took over. "It turns out the prince was already engaged to a human princess who thought she saved his life, the mermaid was devastated and died of a broken heart, turning to sea foam."

"WHAT?!" Bay exclaimed.

"That was the price I mentioned earlier." Shell said. "If the mermaid princess could have the prince marry her, she will remain human forever. If not, she dies without a soul and dissolve into sea foam. That's what happens when a mermaid dies."

"When Kye heard news about his love, he's despised humans ever since and banned sea witches from our land forever."

"That's the story of the Little Mermaid." Marina dipped her head sadly. "The tragic tale of our culture."

Bay felt like someone shot a harpoon through her chest. That was the most tragic story she ever heard. Imagine the pain Kye felt that day...losing one of husband family that day

"But that's not the crazy part." Marina said. "Despite all that, some time later, a human girl named Katrina shipwrecked in our neighborhood and Kye took care of her. Katrina was beautiful and kind as a pack of dolphins. They became deeply in love. But...afraid for Katrina's safety and the uncertainty between merfolk and humans getting worse, he forced her to stay with her people rather than run away with him."

"So, that's why Kye has difficulty with humans." Shell concluded. "But hey, it's all good now." She put an arm around Bay.

"Yeah! You're one of us!" Marina said, hugging Bay. "Now that you're a mermaid, you don't have a care in the world! No sense getting depressed."

But Bay was still in shock. Poor Kye, suffering so much...

What could she do to heal the scar on his heart?


	9. Getting To Know You

Kye was just swimming past his sister's rooms when he heard giggling and laughing, but also yelping. Curious, he peeked his head in and could only smile at the cute sight. Bay was helping Marina and Shell clean their mermaid tails.

"Sorry guys, but I have to get these sea urchin needles out," Bay said, now trying to hold Marina's tail down.

"These hurt so bad!" Marina yelped.

"I know, but I have to be careful not to release the poison," Bay said, now pulling at them more carefully.

"It hurts Bay," Shell whimpered, now trying to pull out another needle on her own.

"No! Shell no! If you do that too hard, the poison can cause your tail to turn purple for days!" Bay said in horror, now quickly trying to stop Shell.

"But now the needles are starting to itch," they both said at the same time!

"Come now; stop giving Bay a hard time you two," Kye said, now swimming in. "She's right. If she doesn't take care of the needles in the right manner it could cause a release of terrible poison!"

"And maybe if I use some of these crushed up seaweeds, it will deaden the pain as I pull them out," Bay replied, now grabbing the green glop.

"How did you know seaweed could help deaden the pain?" Kye asked curiously.

"I-I just observed what they taught me. I have been keeping notes in these kelp leaves," Bay smiled, now showing him the large kelp leaves with her notes written on them. A warm smile graced his face and he swam closer to her.

"I will help you tend to these two; I thank you for taking care of my sisters. They can surely be a handful, but I love them just the same as I have grown to care for you as a friend," Kye said. Bay stopped short and looked at him in pure surprise.

"HUH?!" She said, her jaw going slack.

"I know that I was hard on you at first and I apologize for that," came the gentle response. "But give me a chance to make it up to you please."

And with that, Kye swam closer to her and gave her a gentle nuzzle on her nose with his own nose! Bay was very, very shocked now! She was told that mermaids and mermen did that to show fondness and appreciation to each other; she never thought Kye would do that to her. She smiled shyly and gave him a gentle nuzzle back.

"Finally those two are getting along!" Marina clapped happily.

"Yes! And come to think of it, we haven't played with Bay's feet today!" Marina giggled, now pulling out her wand and waving it playfully!

"W-What?! Oh no! No tickling!" Bay said, now trying to swim back.

"That's right. I heard those feet of yours are very ticklish," Kye smiled deviously.

"N-Now listen Kye…you said yourself that you thought human feet were strange!" Bay protested.

"It doesn't matter. I would like to see why my sisters like tickling you so much," he said, now swimming at her fast. Bay quickly ducked down and tried to swim away.

"After her!" he laughed, now swimming quickly after her.

"On it!" Shell giggled, now swimming after Bay! They all three chased her around the castle until Bay was shocked with a zap of the wand and her legs were back!

"EEEEK!" She squeaked, now feeling the mermaids gently pull her back by her legs.

"Come back here Bay!" Marina smiled.

"We are just beginning!" Shell added.

"I-I won't let you guys tickle me," Bay giggled, now feeling the sisters running their nails over her toes.

"It appears you don't have much of a choice," Kye smiled, now swimming over and joining in with tickling her feet.

"HEY! NO! NO TICKLING!" She squeaked out, now digging her feet deep into the sand to prevent the three devious siblings from tickling her.

"Trying to escape by burying your legs in the sand huh?" Marina smiled evilly.

"Well, where is the fun in that?" Kye grinned deviously. With a snap of his fingers, the sand came alive and exposed Bay's feet and hold her ankles down.

"Oh, no!" Bay was trapped!

"Hmm, so these are feet..." Kye observed Bay's feet as if it were an alien creature. He ran his finger down the arch and Bay squeaked, she wiggled her toes cutely.

"What are these called again?" Kye asked, pulling Bay's big toe.

"They're called toes!" said Marina. "Aren't they cute?"

Kye noticed Bay's foot stretched out by holding her big toe. So he softly tickled the middle of her arch.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Stop it! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Bay laughed.

"My, what a weakness." Kye grinned. Never did he imagine these feet would render a human completely helpless with laughter.

And to think he was so wary around humans.

"Coochy, coochy, coo! Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Marina teased, tickling Bay's other foot.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Whahahat is with you guys?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU NEED TO QUIT TICKLING MY FEET!"

"But it's fun!" Marina said happily. "And my brother needs to hear your cute laugh!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My laugh is not cuhuhuhute!"

But Bay's laugh was cute. It sounded like coral wind chimes in the gentle current breeze.

"Actually, it is quite cute." Kye said. Bay was about to protest, but she was too busy laughing. "And these wiggly toe things are cute too."

"I know right?" said Shell. The mer-siblings then tickled and played with Bay's toes.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! Come on! Stop!" Bay cackled. "I-I cahahan't take much more! Hahahahahahahaha!"

"We better stop." Shell said.

"Awww! Do we have to?" Marina whined. "We were just having fun!"

"We should. She's making snorting sounds." said Kye.

Bay blushed from embarrassment, she was laughing so much, she began to snort.

They stopped tickling and Kye freed Bay from the sand. Once she collected her breath, she turned her attention to Kye. "What brought on this change, Kye? Why are you being so nice to me?"

Kye shrugged. "Well, I guess since my sisters adore you so much, I guess I have no choice but to get to you know a little more."

"Really?! Oh, thank you, Brother!" Marina hugged Kye.

"Speaking of getting to know people," Bay began. "Can we talk about Pearl?"

The mer-siblings looked at Bay in shock.

"I mean, I don't think she's that bad."

"BAY! You must never speak of the sea witch!" Kye reprimanded.

"EVER!" Marina echoed.

"Never ever!" Shell echoed.

"Alright, then lets make a deal. That if I Pearl is evil I will never discuss it again but if Pearl is good, She can hang with us!"

"WHAT?! Pearl, you're out of your mind!" Marina said. "And how are you going to prove she says even nice!"

Bay smiled. "No worries, I've got a plan!"

* * *

 **newbienovelistRD: What is Bay going to do? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **To guestsurprise: What do you think, Amiga? Let's talk about it in a different story! :)**


	10. The Real Witch

Bay was busy swimming towards Pearl's home, a sunken ship that once belonged to human sailors. Some people that it was the wrath of the Sea Witch that sunk the vessel and led the human sailors to their demise.

No merfolk or sea creature wouldn't even think about going near that shop.

But Bay knew that her plan would work. She just had to appear in danger and she knew that Pearl would come and try to rescue her. If the other saw the brave rescue, they would accept Pearl!

"If I can just prove that she's not a threat then everything will be alright," she thought to herself, now seeing the siblings swimming behind her.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Marina whispered.

"Me either. But we have to trust Bay; she knows what she's doing." Shell replied.

"But if there is any sign of evil or trouble, we are going to rescue you." Kye said, now swimming ahead and closer to Bay.

"I just wonder how she became friends with a sea witch?!" Marina gasped.

"I have no idea, but we better be quiet because we are almost there," Shell whispered.

And with that, all three ducked down and watched as Bay approached the sunken ship. She saw Pearl sadly sitting in the corner of the cave and her heart sank. Seeing Pearl so sad reminded Bay of herself, how she used to be so alone and isolated.

Perhaps Pearl wasn't as evil as they thought she was.

"I'm going in!" Bay thought, now trying to swim closer. What she didn't expect was for a dolphin group to quickly swim past her and knock her into a sand dune! She fell headfirst into it and all you could see was her tail wiggling to get free.

"MMHHHHHHMHMMHMHMHHMMHM!" Bay squealed, now trying to get free.

"Uh oh! We better go help!" Marina said.

"No wait! Here comes the sea witch!" Shell gasped, now pointing at the cave as Pearl emerged.

Pearl thought she heard something and gasped as she saw the wiggling tail in front of her cave entrance.

"What the sea slug?!" Pearl said in surprise. "I better just wait for someone to come and help this mermaid."

Bay could hear her and didn't like that response. The goal was for her to help her, not be too timid to do anything! Bay squirmed more and wrapped her tail around Pearl's tail to keep her from leaving! This rescue attempt was not working at all!

"H-Hey let go!" Pearl said in shock, now trying to get free. But she began giggling as Bay ran her fin up and down Pearl's tail, causing Pearl to giggle. Pearl's squirming caused Bay to pull herself free, but that didn't stop her playful assault on Pearl's tail.

"Heeheeheeheehee, B-Bay! What are you doing here?!" Pearl giggled, now trying to get back in her cave.

"Just here to see how you're doing; I didn't know the famous sea witch was ticklish," Bay giggled, now wiggling her nails on her tail, being mindful of the sea urchin spikes.

"B-Bay! C-Cut it out! I have to go back inside before the other mer-folk see me!" Pearl begged, trying to swim back in her cave.

"Pearl, please don't go back in there; you are not an evil witch. Come and meet my friends," Bay said, now ushering her out of the cave.

"I-I can't!"

"Pearl, you're not going to spend the rest of your life in this cave!"

"You cannot change things Bay! This is where I belong!"

"No you don't! You helped me and I want to help you!"

"I don't need any help," Pearl said sadly, now trying to swim away. "Things will never be alright; I am not a mermaid and will always be seen as a threat!"

And with those words, Pearl sadly tried to swim back into the cave, but Bay was right behind her and she had a magic wand with her too, which she borrowed from one of the sisters.

"Come back here! You're not getting away that easily," Bay said with a somewhat sly smirk. Perhaps now was the time to show the little magic she learned and use a little persuasion.

Wielding her magic abalone shell ring given to her by her mer-family, Bay muttered the spell under her breath and made the current of the water move towards her.

It worked! Pearl was pushed back to Bay, but she was pushed too hard! She crashed into Bay and the two girls were swept up in the powerfully current.

Bay's mer-siblings were swept up in the current too. Kye gripped onto a piece of coral while Marina held onto his tail and Shell held onto Marina's tail.

"LET BAY TRY OCEAN MAGIC! WHO'S IDEA WAS THAT?!" Kye screamed.

"YOURS!" Marina screamed back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The siblings were swept away in the current.

Bay and Pearl were spiraling through the magic current for what felt like the longest time. Everything around them was like moving in fast forward, in a very dizzying way.

Feeling like she was going to lose her lunch, Bay waved her ring around and called off the current.

Bay started to wake up. When she opened her eyes, she found Pearl and herself laying in front of the entrance of a dark cave.

"Ohhhh...what happened?" Pearl rubbed her head. "Where am I?"

"I think I goofed on my magic spell." Bay said shyly. "I should have practiced more before I put my plan together."

"What plan?! What's this all about?!" Pearl demanded. "Why did you do this?!"

"Pearl! Relax! I can explain!" Bay said. "I wanted to prove to everyone that you're a nice sea witch and not something people should be afraid of!"

"BAY! What you're doing is wrong! I'm a sea witch! I don't belong with mermaids! It doesn't matter if you're on my side! I'll always be alone and I'll always be hated!"

"Indeed." a voice silky as velvet said.

From out of the cave, a large mermaid emerged from the darkness. She had pale skin, red lipstick, and light purple eyes. Her short black hair stuck out like she had been electrocuted.

As for her tail, it looked like the body of a jellyfish! It glowed with an ominous purple glow.

"My, my. What have we here?" the mermaid mused. She smiled, exposing her sharp, shark-like teeth.

"Bertha!" Pear backed away in fear.

"Bertha?" Bay echoed.

"You must be the new mermaid on the block." Bertha hissed. "I've been dying to meet you."

"Who are you?" asked Bay.

Pearl gulped. "She's Bertha! A sea witch! The Sea Witch! The one who took the Little Mermaid's voice!"

Bertha cackled beautifully. "That little trout thought she could live happily ever after with a human! My plan worked so well! I get the voice of a mermaid and the royal family loses their precious sister! Muahahahaha!"

"What would you want with a mermaid's voice anyway?" asked a furious Bay.

Bertha smugly arched a brow. "Figures you'd ask why. You humans are so pathetic. The voice of a mermaid is one of the sea's greatest treasures!"

"But why?!" Bay demanded. "Why would you do such a thing?!"

Bertha curved a sinister, wry smile. "Because it's fun."

"FUN?!"

"That's right! All I ever wanted to do was become a singer! A glorious singer like all the other mermaids! But they said a sea witch can never be as great as a mermaid! So once that little mermaid came to me for help on her hopeless love life, I saw my chance! I stole her voice and thanks to that human prince rejecting her, the spell took advantage of her broken heart and died!"

The wicked sea witch laughed as Bay watched in shocked anger.

"You mean you killed an innocent mermaid just to be a singer?!"

"Oh, I just supplied the magic. It was that pathetic human prince that did the trick and broke the mermaid's heart! Humans don't give an eel's tail about anyone or anything but themselves! Surely you understand don't you, Bay?"

"You don't know anything about me!"

"Oh, on the contrary, my all seeing crystal ball showed me where you came from. You were a human but fled human society because of how cruel they treated you, wasn't it?! And I can't say I blame them! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Bay clenched her fists, pure rage was building inside her. Her ring around her finger started to glow brightly.

"And you, little trout, your voice will be an excellent addition to my collection. I don't have the voice of a wannabe mermaid! It's not like the royal family will miss you!"

Her evil laughter made Bay's ring glow brighter. So bright, Kye, Marina, and Shell arrived on the scene.

"BAY!" Kye shouted. "What's-" He froze in shock as he and his sisters stared at Bay.

Her ring glowed as bright as the sun in a shimmering blue light, the water around the area shook and trembled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Bay screamed as the light exploded, engulfing Bertha.


	11. New Beginnings

Bay watched as the horrible sea witch was turned into a terrible lump of sea foam! She got her just desserts for harming those innocent lives!

"Justice is served," Bay snarled. But Kye, Pearl, and the other stood and stared in silence. "Hey! What's wrong you guys?"

"Y-You…" Kye started.

"Kye spit it out…are you ok?" Bay asked, now swimming up to him.

"You're the human from the legend."

"What legend?"

"The legend that says when a human comes with a compassionate heart for love and harmony, only then will true peace be restored," Shell said in joy.

"YOU'RE THAT HUMAN, BAY! YOU KILLED THE BAD SEA WITCH AND NOW PEACE IS RESTORED!" Marina swam around in pure glee before tackling Bay with a big bear hug.

"This is wonderful! We can now live in peace!" Kye said.

"Exactly," Bay said, now looking around, but Pearl was gone. "Pearl? Pearl where are you?!"

"Bay, I think she swam away," Marina said gently.

"What? Why?!" Bay asked.

"Because what you did was so powerful she may have thought that you might do that to her too. Since she was considered a bad witch before!" Shell added.

"But she isn't like that. To be honest, I don't think she's a witch at all. She just looks different from us." Bay said. "It's true she's good with magic, but so are you guys and you're not witches."

Kye opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. Bay was right. Pearl may not have been what they thought. After all, they just now realized who the bad witch was and now she was history forever!

"Why don't we invite Pearl to come over?" Shell said, now pointing the way towards Pearl's cave.

"We can try, but she may not be too quick to trust us. After all, we have been mean and rude to her for many years," Marina said.

"Well, now is the time to change that guys. Let's all become friends," Bay grinned, now leading them towards Pearl's cave.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Pearl's cave, was pondering and thinking about all of what happened when she suddenly heard someone approaching her cave. Curious, she looked out and saw Bay and the royal family smiling at her.

"We're back!" Bay grinned. "Now how about coming with us to the castle?"

"Bay…"

"I'm not going to let you slip out of this. Everything is ok now!" Bay said.

"You guys may trust me now, but what about the others? Many merfolk will still hate me!"

"Not if we give them time to know you!" Shell said.

"Yeah! Kye can give a speech in the town square to clear you of anything!" Marina said.

"Yes. I would be happy to," he grinned. Pearl looked away shyly. She was not used to merfolk being this friendly.

"So will you come or do we have to convince you?" Bay smirked.

Marina flicked her wand at Pearl and her spiky sea urchin tail became two beautiful legs!

"AAAAAAH! My tail! What have you done?!" She screamed as Marina and Shell grabbed an ankle.

"This tactic is excellent in matters of persuasion." Bay said.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!" Marina and She'll sang, tickling Pearl's feet.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEY! STOP THAT!" Pearl laughed.

"Only if you come with us!" Bay said.

"OKAY! OKAHAHAHAHAY! I WILL! I WILL! HEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The sisters stopped. Marina returned Pearl's tail back. "Let's go, friend."

* * *

And so, all the merfolk gathered around the palace to announce the big news.

"Citizens of the kingdom, I, Prince Kye humbly welcome our new citizens and my own advisors, Bay and Pearl, a sea witch."

Bay smiled proudly as Pearl looked shyly down.

But, to her amazement, everyone cheered. Cheers and yells of joy and triumph called from everywhere.

"I think I can get used to being a mermaid!" Bay said, waving to the crowd. She turned to Pearl, whose smile was the biggest she's ever seen.

"I feel the same." Pearl said, waving to everyone.

The underwater land will begin anew, thanks to new friends now becoming a family.

Bay couldn't have asked for a better life than this.

* * *

 **newbienovelistRD: Thank you guestsurprise! You and I did a great job on this story and I'm proud to have worked on it with you! And to all of the readers and followers, thank you for your kind reviews! :)**


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